Heading down to Worcester tonight from VT with my wife. My kids are off with the grandparents!! I'm ready to rock pre, during and post show!!! how about a Morning Dew and a Cassidy tonight boys?? Gotta love the good ol....Grateful Dead (Furthur)!!!! Let you love shine!

great time in baltimore! i was a big dummy though, waited too late to pick up a tour shirt and they did not have any XL left! any chance someone could help me get a shirt? I will send you the $$! if so, please let me know gratefulteach@hotmail.complease?? thank you!!

All I really want to know is what will go down at MSG - both nights? What is the setlist prediction based on the chart, or do you wait until after tonight? I guess logically, you wait. I'll be at both MSGs; hit me up and say "howdy".

Hey, I know this is not the thread for it, but any idea when the boys will go on stage at MSG. Im coming in from Queens with my 7 year old. That being said, I wont have too many problems with my 7 year old daughter getting in, will I? Hope not, cant wait for her to FINALLY see Bobby and Phil. DVD's can only go so far. Have fun at Worcester tonite. GREAT venue. I think I was at the final GD Worcester show in 88...Big Boss Man opener if memory serves.....Thanks!

NO2 is such a menace to all scenes, either go for the music or beat it losers, wahahahwahwahah whahha wahha ayay ayayayyaayaya boyoyoyoyoyyyy, come now, really, let's keep the scene clean. have a grateful show all.

Just out of curiousity, I've seen post after post about streams in the recent months but have never seen one on here...are there ever any to be found on this site? Do you need to be in the underground stream club??

YES!!!!! I assume Phil did the Bird Song? bobby ripped a sweet lovelight after a fire-hot women smarter in mpls, but it wasnt a set closer. The BEW was my highlight of Iowa, sure it was better the second time -Doc

This Pre show booze cruise looks fun, 3 to 6 before MSG show, any insight? Is it worth it? Dead cover band, bar, on the water for 10 bucks? Sound like too much fun! Are drinks like 20 bucks or something?

YES!!!!! I assume Phil did the Bird Song? bobby ripped a sweet lovelight after a fire-hot women smarter in mpls, but it wasnt a set closer. The BEW was my highlight of Iowa, sure it was better the second time -Doc

Hey now, Will give a short review with more details to follow, First off this first set was hot, the band was wicked tight and JK really was on fire, a couple minor bumps at the end of Cream Puff but SEVEN Jerry tunes tells you something good was happening. From Althea on it was really good.

Birdsong was excellent with Jay and Phil really playing off each other, a slight GDTRFB tease and then a seem less transition into Lovelight which was fun, then a nice you have your cake and eat it too Casey Jones. I disagree with Toby on the first set, to me it seemed the crowd was not that into it at times, but the band was. Listening to the SB confirmed that

I had high hoped for set two, as you can see from the set list it looks awkward and at times it was, and it was a real buzz kill for many and the energy of the crowd never got really into it. There were moments of brilliance and some sloppy mistakes, the end of Midnight Hour and John messing up China Doll. Nobody's Girl, wow!! This should have opened the second set as the ending was off the charts, Speedway and Mountains of the Moon were also incredible. Hard Rain was great but it lost many. The Scarlet>Fire had potential but John was never loud enough and Phil seemed frustrated as he literally came out seconds after ending Fire for the donor rap. They came on at 10 so it was short second set, and this second set was the weakest and most disjointed I have seen from this band. Be curious to know who wrote this one.

The Ripple was the best one I have seen period. Pics to follow later today

So far a lone wolf, but with this ultra expression of distaste, I'd like to hear from others to understand if it was truly this bad. The night Bobby melted down at Nokia in July was universally panned, but to have such a wide swing in commentary is unusual. You sure you didn't eat some leftover brown from Woodstock? J/K, but I really want to get more insight.

Great time last night. Had not been to Worcester since 1988. Got to the old Centrum around 5PM, walked into the box office and pulled 10th row seats. Not too shabby.

- Nice little shakedown happening before nitrous took over. Had to be 15 tanks within 40 feet of each other. Idiot custies stumbling onto my friend's vending, etc... Absolutely terrible dregs of society. Cops came in to do a big sweep but by then the vibe was ruined. Fuck you nitrous cockroaches.

- I thought the first set was excellent and I've been pretty critical of the band recently. The Althea 1/2 Step BEW trifecta was sweet. John really doing some nice work. - 2nd set highlights were Nobody's Girl and Mountains. Phil is, and will always be, the man.

Left at Hard Rain due to a long ride home and an early rise today. Looking forward to MSG tonight. The band is definitely playing well.

first set was excellent, blackie... don't let somebody's baggage fool ya. course, i went for brown eyed women and scored it... stumbled and hopped my way right through the entire evening... solid stuff.

Nathan reminds me of a guy I was talking to in the hallway for about 10 minutes last night who was railing about "how this doesn't compare to the scene in the early 80's man, these people can't dance man, there are no speakers in the hallway man...".

Yea, no shit. The Grateful Dead died a long time ago. This is 2010. Shut the fuck and drink your beer and have a good time. Assclown.

Ted. I like and agree with your prelim review. It was kind of an up and down show for me, (that's why I can never just do one!).... of course I danced the whole time and loved every moment of being there, but you seemed to articulate my thoughts about each song. Thank you! Nothing much embarrasses me these days Toby. PS: need more PHIL BOMBS (MSG Sunday)

I had a good time last night. 1st set was great. Hard Rain was awesome - Bobby really getting into it, lunging at the mic. But I understand where Nathan is coming from too. Putting 3 slow songs in a row in the middle of the 2nd set brought the energy down, even though each of the songs individually were played well and had some great peaks. And also, I think the music really misses having 2 drummers to really drive the beast. If you're only going to have 1 guy beating the skins, you need to have someone like Molo who can really drive things. When they started Scarlet, you could feel all the drunk Massholes in the crowd ready to start grooving hard, but after the intro and first verse, the beat really mellowed out and the energy level dropped again. Same thing happened during Speedway.

But again, overall I had a really good time and am just grateful to still be able to hear this music live. Phil sounded great and Bobby looked more lively than I've seen him in awhile.

Actually agree somewhat with Nathan. Very disjointed all night. Considering shakedown outside was a full on drug store for hippies. I thought the crowd was really really lacking in energy. The back end of Nobody Girl>Speedway>Mtns was really good. Lovelite was really not a good version and a botched China Doll intro. were par for the course tonite. Out of 15 ive seen this was the worst? sorry 1.5 cents.

Contrary to many opinions here and elsewhere, I thoroughly enjoyed the Wor show. Sure, Bobby messed up the end of Mid Hour and China Doll got a lyrical restart - but gee, I remember Jerry restarting more than one Brokedown and no one said I'm going to quit seeing the band. Fire ended w/ a short jam because of the quickly approaching 11:30 curfew and Ripple, though not my #1 choice, was very well played and enjoyable. Bob's playing and singing far surpassed his recent efforts at Lowell this summer. Highlights for me were Nobody's Girl, Mountains of the Moon and Speedway.

too many repeats from lowell this summer (and umass in february for that matter). with all the time apparently spent on setlists, you would think they could keep track of the most recent songs they played in the area. glad i wasnt able to go.... as the venue is too big and restricted for this era of the band. stick to the venues that seat under 10,000, preferable with some general admission opportunities!

Thanks Joe for the comment. Its about time all of you "Phil Fans" get off your high horse and stop disparaging every show which includes Bobby.

I am sorry to remind you all that Bob Weir was a member of the Grateful Dead. you can look it up. Each time Bobby makes a mistake, you all jump on him like he was an whore. You know what, bobby carried the band for the last five years of their existence and his continued presence on stage is quite gratifying.

While i love Phil as one would love Bullwinkle, I love Bobby just as much. Not one time would you ever hear me rip Phil. Believe you me I could (ie. Phil, can you mix up that Donor rap thing so it is a bit funny).

Just stop it please.

Now on to the Show.

The crowd was great. The sound was great. The bathrooms were a bit crowded (next time go to the one at Section 113).

China Doll was great. Mountains was Great. Hard Rain was great. The Scarlet jam was great. (Fire was a disaster). Ripple was great.

More importantly i had a great time and i only hope that all of you Phil fanatics can lighten up so you can enjoy yourselves at MSG tonite

I had a blast last night and enjoyed the whole show. From where I was sitting, the sound was great and I thought the energy was high. I don't mind a few mistakes if the passion and and energy are there and I was really feeling it.

The place was pretty packed and I saw most people standing all the way to the roof. If it was dead, more people would have been sitting down.

Everyone around me seemed to be enjoying the show as much as I did, dancing and yelling. I thought the crowd energy was very high, though it did dip some during the second set.

I think the variety of opinions here of last nights show are due more to individuals mind set than how the band played.

I thought the first set was excellent and had high hopes for the second set. I thought the second set did not blast off as I hoped and I was not crazy about the set list, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the whole show so much. I'd rather have it wild and being on the verge of out of control than perfectly played.

I do believe this band is taking the music further...the music continues to evolve.

I started seeing the Dead in 1972, but I am letting go of the past and enjoying the present. I feel privileged to be participating in this music!

"whoknew", I'm with you on that. Don't know whether Furthur was good or bad,great or mediocre, but I do know that the Allmans completely rocked the Orpheum last night. I'm sure I would have had fun in Worcester, but it was nice to be in Boston.

I was at the show last, sitting right in the middle of the Phil Zone. Great sound, Phil's bass coming through loud and clear. And for my two cents, it was a fine show. I am sure there were better on the tour, and, hopefully, there will be better in the future; but geez, giime a break about horrible performances, they played well and hard last night. Alligator, Cream Puff rocked as hard and physchedically as any band is capable of today. Plenty of nice playing in the 2nd set two. And Bobby singing Midnight Hour....is Bobby singing Midnight Hour. God bless him and I hope he can do it for another 10 years strong!!

Geeze, such differing of opinion. I guess it depends on why you go to see these guys. I go to see IT. I think the interplay between Phil and JK is beyond anything I've ever heard; its has a layered vibe that is very mezmorizing. The setlists pretty much sums up the show for me, and that is, it was Fing awesome. Yea there were flubs and the energy at times was lacking, I've seen better New Speedways. But then again what about the Alligator, Cream Puff opener, there was a bit of energy going on there, although the mix was a little off and volume low, but by the end of those 2 I was already in a sweat. By Althea the soundboard dude had everything in synch and JK did the song justice, very well done. A solid first set to be sure.

I could keep going but it really doesn't matter. I thought the show was great. I enjoyed IT - Ya know, one night you get a show like last nights, other nights, totally different, keeps me guessing. Different from most any band I've ever seen, beside GD of course. I guess I'm going to keep going.I keep having thoughts come in me head.... For those of you that like Jazz with a bunch of Psychodilla that meanders and mingles with all that Jazz, last night was your show. I'll also add that despite Bobby's flubbs and Jazz chordes that were definite clunkers, he did read or remember every word of Hard Rain. Mtns of the Moon was unreal and they jammed what I thought sounded like Low Spark or some Traffic tune between the verses, overwhelmingly well done. The same goes for the Scarlet Fire, I felt the energy then, IT was going. All in all a very good show that had its moments of "ouch" and moments of brilliance, much more brilliance than ouches and everything in between was well done. All in all the show made this 50 year old Head pretty impressed...again. I brought my boys again last night, they're 19 and 17, they've seen this band about 10 or so times, and they both liked the show as well. My 17 year old, who is into Jazz, said to me on the way out "Thanks Dad, the show was good, different from other's I've seen, but the Jazz they can pull of is unreal, I liked it, again!!" The 19 year old was of similar mind.

So, I guess if you have any idea why you're going, and don't mind chancing the numerous types of shows these guys can throw at you, you'll pretty much enjoy IT. My boy's and I do and did last night. I'm in for both nights at the Garden. IT's gonna be good, and as a wize 17 year old said; "again!!" Peace - I'll see you tonight. Lots of you. I Hope you enjoy IT, because IT is a treat that has been bestowed that, in the grand scheme of things, only few have seen. We are a very fortunate bunch ya know. Again, Peace

Second, the music. First set was inspired and, at times, rocking. I liked the backup vocals. The second set, to me, was uninspired and disjointed. Dare I say, weak. One slow song after another. It was real hard to get into it, at least for me, and I tried. There was no groove to speak of. Scarlet-Fire had a chance, but it was not to be.

A couple other comments: 1) There were virtually no transitions between the songs; one abruptly ends and another begins; perhaps that is why I struggled to find a groove, especially in the second set. 2) To me, at times, the music sounded a little 'thin' as if there was not a lot going on other than the lead instrument (guitar, keyboards, etc) and/or vocals; the 'middle' was missing. 3) I'm not sure if anyone else noticed this, but Bob played around with his amp about every 90 seconds; in the second set I bet he had his back turned to the audience and was hunching over his amp at least 20 times; maybe that had something to do with why I felt the 'middle' of the music was missing; anyway, it was distracting; the guy's been doing this for 40+ years and he still can't get his guitar to sound right - and it didn't; geez.

The nirtous seen on/around Shakedown street was out of control. My first show was Oct 1983 and I've never seen anything like that. Maybe that's how they all are now since I don't tour anymore, but you were literally falling over the tanks as you walked down the street. No wonder the cops came. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Smarten up.

Another first was someone selling fresh oysters before the show. I didn't dare try and (I love oysters, but in parking lot, I dunno) but I am sure they were good. I remember when the best stuff you could get before/after a show was a veggie burrito or a peanut butter & banana sandwich.

My brother in law bought the CD so I'll give it a listen over the Turkey Day weekend to confirm what I heard. We'll see. Enjoy the rest of the tour.

Listen to set two again. The Nobody Girl was amazing especially the chorus with John, Sunshine and Jeff was stunning.

As for Bob he sounded great all night, his voice was clear and strong and his playing was good. He had that old black stat at times as well.

The sound was good, in 238, but Phil was low in the mix in set one and he dropped no bombs. One thing I think is worth mention was Jeff, he was really an ensemble player tonight and I liked it. I mean he had one crazy solo in Althea, but other than that his playing was really top notch and not over the top like he often gets.

I totally agree with Liverunner about set two, independently the songs stand on their own, it was just how it was thrown together. I mean Midnight hour and Golden Road should stay in the first set. The Mountains of the Moon was much better than the one played in Philly in July, as it was much more driven and they really grooved on it.Phil's vocals were very nice on it.

As for the energy of the crowd, and a veteran of eighteen Boston Garden shows, it was bad. I mean these peeps could not even muster clapping in time, especially during Lovelight. Bob was singing "Come on, come on."

It was the same time thing in Manchester.Even Lowell was too mellow for my tastes.

I have yet to see a Scarlet> Fire from this band that blows me away, it is the one major combo that they play the most inconsistently.I mean maybe they should throw those two songs into the first set? I have a feeling Sunday is gonna be the night, we'll see. Here is before Alligator Birdsong Lovelight Nobody Girl

The seats behind the stage were blocked off. Just listened to the Hard Rain and it is good, but it should be played in the first set like they did in Utica, since there is really no long instrumental break in it. The Scarlet sounds better on a second listen although John's first solo starts off alittle slow but it gets better, thanks to Jeff pushing him and a crashing boom from Phil, Booby and Joe lol

Have been seeing the "dead" and its incarnation since 83. this was definitely far from the best but still had some awesome moments. Personally, I loved New Speedway Boogie, really enjoyed Hard Rain, always enjoy a Scarlet Fire. I have always found the enjoyment of a show to be centered around set and setting. My setting was great!! Great people around me, crisp, sound, a loving gilfriend with me, 8th row seats etc. So what that Bobby fumbled a few lines, JK started off slow of this song, Phil seemed bored on that tune. There was nothing else I would have rather been doing last night than what I did. I don't get all the complaining. Enjoy it!! P & B are getting old we wont have it much longer.

We are not complaining lol just given perspective The Zone demand nothing less. The Scarlet>Fire sounded better on a second listen but maybe it is my preference that it not end the second set. Ripple is righteous!

It is easy Keith just click on the formatting icon on the left side of this screen and all the steps are there. The pics may have to be reduced since you can't go beyond 600x 600 on them. Usually if you reduce to web pages you will be fine.

I loved the concept of the Alligator > Cream Puff War opener. Unfortunately the mix was bad. All changed with Althea. And JK nailed it, as did Jeff on keys. Furthur has a unique and sweet Mississippi 1/2 Step arrangement. Birdsong was the best I've seen these guys play. I thought it was going to close set 1; Lovelight was a nice surprise...JK wanted to keep it going and they fumbled at the end. Golden Road set 2 opener captured the best of the energy from set 1. I agree that the 2nd set list was awkward disjointed. Nobody Girl was a highlight, better than I remember from Amherst...or was it Manchester in the spring? Mountains of the Moon jam was as good as one could hope (I was actually hoping for Unbroken Chain). And Bobby nailed Hard Rain; his vocals were strong last night, as some have said. Some great grooves in Scarlet > Fire. I've seen these guys play both with more energy. I mentioned what I thought was a board issue during Alligator>Cream Puff War. I thought they could have dialed up the volume over the whole show. We were at the way back with room to dance. Folks were super cool. I would say I enjoyed the scene at Amherst best of all of the Northeast shows I've seen Further play. Being up front at Lowell was hot, too. So much fun to see these guys...always an inspiration; I hope I have another chance soon. Peace.

As Ted stated, we ain't complaining. That said, not every show is 'the best show ever' and last night certainly was not. Did I have fun? Yup. Would I go see them again? You betcha. Do I think that every song, regardless of how it is played is fantastic? Uh-uh.

I appreciate every time the post-GD bandmembers play and I get a chance to see them. But since we pay A LOT of money for tickets, we have the right to comment on the quality of the performance. Just like when you buy a ticket to a sporting event, you have the option to cheer for (or not) your team, its members and/or their performance - as well as discuss the (their) performance.

I agree that perhaps the slow second set tunes would be good on their own, but not sequentially. There was just no energy. I stood for the entire show (I always do), but my brother-in-law and I were the only two people on our feet in our section (230). Maybe everyone was lame, maybe not.

PS Bob - I heard that Traffic-like start to Mountains, too - specifically Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys. I remembering hearing this in another Furthur version of Mountains, I think from Phil's 70th bash, but that take was more subtle as I recall. Jazz theme was highly prominent at many times last night.

"Bobby carried the band for the last 5 years" I dont know whose back's that strong, but it wasn't bobby between 1991-1995. Phil and Bruce helped, and things didnt hit bottom for real til fall 94 - Jerry's many moments of lucidity from '92-'95 still surpassed any of Bobby's stuff from the era. Bob Weir is really good at playing Bob Weir music inside the larger confines of the Grateful Dead parameter, but he aint no band-carrier, which is why PL&F crushed Ratdog in terms of ticket sales, venue size and musicianship from the get-go, even though Bobby is clearly more of a lead singer type than Phil, and even though Bobby is really good at picking up keyboard players (brent, jeff) -Doc

I don't know...I appreciate the mentality and enthusiasm that allows for this to be the truth for some. Never looking back. Always forward. Always without reservation. Always without baggage. Expectations flushed where they should be. In the NOW, right now. I see that as a virtue. I often fail at it, but I keep trying.

First set was fantastic. I love Birdsong but really have not enjoyed the way Furthur plays it until last night. I really enjoyed it last night. Secon set was a bit odd but overall enjoyable. They really got lost during Midnight Hour. I know Bob gets beat up about it, but somebody had to put an end to it and he clearly had enough of it. It was worth every penny spent. I walked out pleased and that's all I look for.

I guess we have different expectations when we attend a show. I DO expect a certain level of performance when I go to a show. Perhaps this is based on previous shows I have attended. Never really gave it much thought. However, when I am walking in I am always hoping that THIS is going to be THE show....that they are going to blow me away. I can't be the only who feels this way. I can't just forget 27 years of GD shows and countless hours of recordings when I enter a show. I'm not pining for the Jerry years, I live in the present and I have enjoyed all post-Jerry, GD-member bands.

Perhaps it WOULD be easier if I didn't care how the band plays, but that ain't me. I CAN immensely enjoy a show (and I did, and always will), yet still be critical of the performance, positively or negatively. For me, that's kinda what makes it fun.

this show was all about the middle area between the open spaciness of dark star and the steamroller energy of the other one - it was sort of that nice soaring gliding space - the birdsong jam and the mountains jam are going to make for some great driving music

the only real lowlight for me was midnight hour - it just didn't take off - all of the other songs were well performed, but without making much an impact on me other than pleasant listening - I did close my eyes during Althea and was amazed at how closely JK sounded to Jerry - it is clearly what he is aiming for, and he gets pretty damned close

Overall my best Furthur show is still 3/3/10 in Chicago - which was like 1972 risen from the grave - but I truly enjoyed Worcester and see no reason to view the evening as anything but a great night

Solid show! First set was right on from Alligator. High energy all the way through! Golden Road second set opener kept the high energy rolling! Killer. Although much of the second set was filled with mellower tunes, let's face it, the Mtns. was absolutely SWEET!! Long and the nailed it!! Who cares if JK messed up the beginning of China Doll... he/they regrouped and started it over without stopping and went on the play a bone-chilling Jerry Meltdown! Hugging my sweetheart through that was priceless! The Scar-fire certainly didn't blow us away but was a nice solid groove and Phil owned the blast in to Fire!! The interaction between Phil and Jeff is off the charts. Ya gotta pay attention and check it out but man, they are in sync and Phil must have played 10 million notes last night!! I was surprised to keep the mellower vice going with the Ripple but was totally amazed at how strong it was and Bobby nailed the lyrics and feeling and the "da da da da da..." part at the end was a true full crowd singalong, just like it's meant to be! Crowd near us was smiling and giggin' and having a blast the whole show!! Security guy next to us didnt' bother anyone for doing anything! Remember, bring your energy and it feeds others that then feed you back and so on!! If you're down.... guess what! Right on!

The nitrous scene pretty well sums up the attitude of some of the crowd, lost. I was on the floor, right side about 12 rows back. There were so many people claimng to be big fans who just talked all night long and never listened. And for the second set, you had to listen. I thought the first set was great. There was lots of energy the playing was spot on, Weirs vocals were better than I heard in years. To me it appears like this group is starting to understand who sings what and when and how to mix the backups in at just the right time. Transitions, a bit rocky at times, but hell when you are throwing down the mixed set of songs they have been doing it has to be hard. I loved Alligator>Cream Puff, Althea and Birdsong. The second set was interesting to say the least and yep one could say a buzz kill IF you just listened to the opening sequence to many of the songs....as they were slow.....and I groaned....BUT then they developed, MTNs, Hard Rain,and Nobodys Girl were great....and they are songs that are not some of my favorites but they pulled them off and as they got rolling had plenty of energy. I look forward to listening to them again. Midnight Hour was the weakest song of the night. I wish they had played Alligator-Cream Puff>Golden in sequence. Scarlet>Fire was solid, not great but still always fun to hear. Bobby did fiddle with his amp alot in the second set but alot of the time it was when he changed guitars. What cracks me up is all the negative energy around botched lyrics, etc......having been on this excursion since 1969.......Nothing has changed, they have botched lyrics for 40 years. One thing that has improved, time between songs. There were times where they would take 5-10 minutes between songs on top of starting shows an hour or more late. To me the music is great, I see old friends, I walk away with a big smile. I wish I was going to MSG. Phil/Bob....great job in keeping the music going. thanks

I thought the show was great. The China Doll and Bird Song Lovelight where the highlights for me. I was back about 15 rows on the floor on the aisle. The sound was excellent, JK just ripping notes all over the place, Phil with the super chunk bass lines. Weir looping in and out of the jams.... Very Nice. The crush from people without ticketed seats on the floor was a little ridiculous at times. People were so packed into the aisles in made for rough transport to get out. People seem to think they have the right to stand in the aisles and not move when you need to get by. Common manners are really sadly lacking among the wookie group. For them It is ok to tread on you, if you complain back you are "uncool dude". Freakin lame

Nothing left to do but smile smile smile. Friday was my birthday and I went to the show with my family- kids, son in law, longtime deadhead friends, brother. How mauch better does it get than that!!! I loved this show-we all did. here's the review: the longtime deadheads- myself and friends with well over 1200 gd/jerry/phil/ratdog/otherones/dead/further/rythm devils, etc etc shows between us were ready tio head to MSG after this one. Alligator to open was the good stuff, Althea, Brown Eyed Women, Lovelight, Half step, casey Jones, all well played. One of the better first sets we've seen in a few years. Golden Road and nobody's girl, were real treats. But we really loved the Mountains of Moon-maybe the best we've seen Phil do. New Speedway was solid and so was Midnight Hour. Scarlet/Fire was fine. Ripple was the highlight of the night-you have to go back a long way to find a better version. For my kids-who saw Jerry and the Dead and have seen further and a lot of the post dead/ ratdog- they loved this show. They prefer the songs more than the long jams and this show had many many solid songs-all well played. I'd have to say they liked this show better than most of the last few they've seen. For my son in law this was his first show-and he really really loved it. Scarlet fire was a big one for him but so was the new speedway, brown eyed, etc. and they all loved ripple. For the record-the crowd around us (floor-sect 6) was very into it the whole night-everyone was dancing and I didn't see much anyone sitting for more than a moment or two (like we did the last time the Dead played worcester and w everyone sat fot he days between. And every time I looked around the crowd was dancing to the rafters. general notes-place was packed to the rafters-tons of extra people everywhere like the old days aisles jammed and seat were just a suggested are to attempt to be in when the lights went down. Worcester still sucks big time for bathrooms-bring the tour back to Boston or Hartford or anywhere but Worcester centrum. why can't they stop the nitrous aholes? last thoughts-Booby and phil-what a gift to still see you guys bringing it!!!

"Perhaps it WOULD be easier if I didn't care how the band plays, but that ain't me. I CAN immensely enjoy a show (and I did, and always will), yet still be critical of the performance, positively or negatively. For me, that's kinda what makes it fun."

This isn't what I mean by flushing expectations. After the fact, dissecting, deconstructing, analyzing, etc is only natural. Of course, you're going to critique what you just experienced, and I think the most healthy is the ability to recognize both good and bad. However, walking in the front door with pre-conceived notions and an exact idea of how you want things to happen, always comparing this new experience vs. other experiences before the new experience has even happened, is a negative recipe for things that are about to occur. Clearing the mind and allowing RIGHT NOW to flow through you, uninhibited. I don't think that has anything to do with how the band plays. This all has to do with how you/we approach the playing. It's our half of the equation. It's our half of the contract. That baggage is all on us. Expectations = baggage.

Zeno makes an interesting point regarding expectations=baggage. Viewing it from a customer/vendor perspective: It is up to the vendor (in this case our musical friends) to set some lines of expectations for us (the customers) so that we not only enjoy the music and the experience and then it up to us to either like or dislike, come back or not. The hard part in this case is many are riding on previous expectations from the Grateful Dead and then try to put the same footprint on every reincarnation since......and that is our baggage. You have to view this new band, and yes they are new, only a little over a year old as recalibrating our expectations. I have listend to many of Furthurs shows, but this was the first live one I have gone to. After 40 years of the Grateful Dead, it would not be fair for me to set the same expectations, good bad or indifferent. Yes I had some idea based on what I listend to, but then I know the live experience is what it is really all about. I went in with an open mind (well a bit foggy) and walked away with a big smile. So for the time my expectations for the next show will start to fall in place and I can't wait. The only thing that is somewhat constant is the many friends I have made over the years and seeing them at shows. Like your point Zeno.

Interesting ideas. However, I cannot attend a GD-related show without some sort of expectations. To me, it's analogous to attending a Red Sox game. I cannot go to a game and view it as if I have never seen a professional baseball game, have no idea how well/poorly the Red Sox or their opponent are playing and have no vested interest in the quality of play and outcome. Will I (do I) enjoy going to Fenway? Absolutely, I love it. Do I expect/hope for the Sox to play well and win? Yes. Am I disappointed when they lose? Yes. Does the outcome of the game detract from the enjoyment of the overall experience and my desire to see it again? NO. For, me the same goes for GD-related shows.

Again, do not misunderstand what I am saying: I immensely enjoy going to GD-related shows. Ultimately, I make this clear with my wallet as I go to all shows that I can. I can, however, for the sake of reviewing ONLY, attempt to separate the music from the scene/experience. One could argue that at a GD-related show that is not possible. Point taken and understood. But to someone reading these reviews (this is the reviews section) from thousands of miles away and they do not know me at all, my personal experience outside of the music is not theirs and they may not be able to relate to it if I color my 'music' review with how the night played out for me. When I read reviews I am interested on how the songs were played; were there high points or something unique about that version of a particular tune? That's me and that's how I review a show as well as what I am looking for in a review. I am not reviewing how much fun I had (which is always a lot).

I would not use the word 'baggage' instead of 'experience' when it comes to anything. I know, a few minutes into any song, by any performer, if that song is working for ME. Why it does not work for ME may simply be personal preference in a type of song; it may be song placement; it may be my notion on how well (or poorly) I think it is played. These are all unapologetically personal reasons that mean nothing to anyone but me. These reasons, too may color my reviews, but I will qualify my comments accordingly.

The live experience is always fun and I, too, walked away with a big smile (and sore throat) Friday night. Hopefully they will come around again and I will be there.

1st set: The 'Gator-Cream Puff opener was nice, but short - it certainly lacked the over the top madness of the Herkimer versions. The rest of the 1st set was good/solid. I missed the Lovelight->Casey Jones segue since I had to take my 1 piss of the show during the end of the 1st set due to the horrendous lack of adequate restroom situation @ that venue (and I knew to go to the behind-the-stage restrooms with 1/2 the line) - no wonder people pissed in the sinks - I was on the verge of it - or in a trash can - totally ridiculous - they should never play there again.

2nd set: Again, Golden Rd was good but not over the top great. Midnight Hr was a total trainwreck and I was feeling pretty annoyed at that point. Nobody Girl really lost most of the audience but I actually like the Ryan songs sung by JK and was grateful to finally hear one besides Magnolia Mtn, which I've heard 5 or 6 times. China Doll was good but JK did mess up the 1st verse and had to start over. New Speedway I was disappointed that Bobby sang it but he did a good job (unlike the hideous awful trainwreck version @ Asbury Pk last Dec). Mtns of the Moon was the 1st thing I was really psyched for in the 2nd set - but man did it lose anybody else who'd stuck it out to that point - all the weekend warrior types around us were leaving in droves - which was great since it was Sardine City in our row. I told my friend "glad to see I'm hating this set less than pretty much everyone else here". Mtns was good (but not as good as Phila 7/11), with a nice jam at the end - then I was REALLY psyched for the Hard Rain (yes I was looking forward to a Bob sung ballad -yes me - wow!) - couldn't have been a better setlist choice - then Scarlet/Fire - again, played well but not over the top. Ripple encore was nice - again, couldn't have been a better choice.